Artists' creativity to take wing in fiberglass 'Penguin Parade'

Funding for the 30 penguins came from the Kennedy Family Foundation.
& lt;a href=mailto:viviano@vindy.com & gt;By JoANNE VIVIANO & lt;/a & gt;
VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- "Penny" the horse, covered with copper pennies and sporting a mane of paper bills, spent a stint in Rochester, N.Y.
A Nebraskan city was home to "U Crane," a graceful fowl detailed with the intricate artwork seen on Ukrainian Easter eggs.
A winged buffalo named "Tastes Like Chicken" graced the streets of Buffalo, N.Y.
In Cleveland, artists transformed a series of large guitars. Erie had fiberglass fish (including "Sexy Sadie" in a yellow polka dot bikini). Chicago featured cows. New York City had bulls and Lakeland, Fla., had swans.
And now, Youngstown will watch as its own mascot becomes a public art canvas for the creative minds of the Mahoning Valley.
Dubbed "Penguin Parade," this new community art project seeks to recruit 30 local and regional artists to showcase their talents on 5-foot-tall fiberglass penguins. Partners are Youngstown State University, the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley public charity and the business community.
"It's a project that [we hope] will boost community spirit," said Catherine Cala, associate director of internal operations in YSU's university development office.
"I think the timing really goes well with the many new and exciting things already happening [such as Youngstown 2010].
"I think Penguin Parade can capture that spirit."
Cala is a co-vice chairwoman of the Penguin Parade Committee along with Patricia Brozik of the Community Foundation and Karen DeAmicis of Home Savings. Co-chairmen and chairwomen are Bill and Connie Knecht, Clarence Smith and Katherine Kennedy.
DeAmicis said an important component of the project is the partnership among the Community Foundation, the university and local business.
Further, she said the penguins will be tangible evidence of that cooperation and one that will involve not only artists but all members of the community, including children.
"It will touch a lot of people," she said.
When asked how the project came about, Cala says "it was total serendipity."
She had wanted to see penguins become art since seeing other animal artwork in other cities and had mentioned the idea about a year ago to YSU President David C. Sweet and Executive Director of Development Paul McFadden. Just months later, in March of this year, a benefactor suggested the same.
The local Kennedy Family Foundation was the catalyst for getting the project off the ground, providing funding for a penguin prototype and manufacture of 30 penguins.
The creatures, from Prewitt Fiberglass in Gibbon, Neb., have the features of the emperor penguin; Cala said the committee wanted a "regal, dignified" penguin as opposed to one that was a caricature.
The idea, DeAmicis explained, was to give artists a clean canvas on which to be creative.
Tenacity and teamwork
Further, Cala said the emperor penguin is a perfect mascot for the Mahoning Valley. From her research, she said, she's discovered the emperor penguins spend their entire year in Antarctica, never flocking to the warmer climates; share parenting roles with females laying eggs and males hatching them; and huddle in masses for warmth, taking turns in the center position of the group.
"I thought those were remarkable traits and representative of the tenacity, teamwork and sense of community Mahoning Valley citizens have," Cala said.